because there are two sides to every story

The tragedy that plagued an organization and the families it employs has been front-page news since Friday. These workplace shootings are far too common, as are those in schools and other places.

What steps has your organization put in place (or are they at least planning to) in order to prepare for such an unexpected event

At the very least, it should start with comprehensive pre-employment screening that should include background checks that reach beyond your current county or state.

A zero-tolerance policy should be developed that accompanies appropriate disciplinary and grievance procedures.

What about violence prevention training, for all employees?

We have fire drills, of course. However, such a traumatic event such as active shooting in or around a workplace, will cause confusion and chaos and potentially lead to more tragic consequences when no one is prepared.

Workplace violence is not just about a shooting. From vandalism to product contamination, from stalking to domestic violence, from arson to attempted homicide, or worse – homicide – as we are all witnessing too close to home. An incident could be a personal attack on an entire organization or just on one person, and not always from inside the organization, but also from outside the organization. Consider what happened at Mercy Hospital only months ago; still traumatizing staff to this day.

So, we are addressing employers today. How are you preparing your organization? If such an event were to occur — do your employees know where they should go? Is there a safe place to hide? How does one take personal protection from your position in the building? How should someone respond if coming face to face with the aggressor? Is your organization prepared appropriately when conducting a termination, from security staff to a secured area?

There are many measures that employers can take, and of course – they will depend upon the type of industry involved; whether accessed by the public or only vendors. There are so many factors. We are interested in your thoughts on this matter, one staring us all in the face.